Do these spellcasting foci from Xanathar's Guide to Everything have to be held in a hand?












4












$begingroup$


I see that, for example:




A cleric or paladin can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus, as described in chapter 10. To use the symbol in this way, the caster must hold it in hand, wear it visibly, or bear it on a shield.




Further, I see that the standard arcane focuses -- orbs, crystals, rods, etc. -- all have to be held in the hand. That makes sense to me.



What I'm not sure about is, for example, the Hat of Wizardry or the Dark Shard Amulet from XGTE. Both specify they can be used as a spellcasting focus (for wizards and warlocks respectively), but it does not make sense to me that e.g. a wizard would be required to hold their Hat of Wizardry in their hand to use it as a spellcasting focus, instead of wearing it. I can imagine a warlock having to grip their Dark Shard Amulet with a free hand, but that still seems like a bit of a stretch, especially when combined with somatic components.



Can these specific foci be used without holding them in hand?






dnd-5e warlock wizard spell-components







share|improve this question









New contributor




Louis Wasserman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.







$endgroup$








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Maybe you have to tip the Hat of Wizardry like a fedora to use its power ;)
    $endgroup$
    – Blake Steel
    5 hours ago
















4












$begingroup$


I see that, for example:




A cleric or paladin can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus, as described in chapter 10. To use the symbol in this way, the caster must hold it in hand, wear it visibly, or bear it on a shield.




Further, I see that the standard arcane focuses -- orbs, crystals, rods, etc. -- all have to be held in the hand. That makes sense to me.



What I'm not sure about is, for example, the Hat of Wizardry or the Dark Shard Amulet from XGTE. Both specify they can be used as a spellcasting focus (for wizards and warlocks respectively), but it does not make sense to me that e.g. a wizard would be required to hold their Hat of Wizardry in their hand to use it as a spellcasting focus, instead of wearing it. I can imagine a warlock having to grip their Dark Shard Amulet with a free hand, but that still seems like a bit of a stretch, especially when combined with somatic components.



Can these specific foci be used without holding them in hand?






dnd-5e warlock wizard spell-components







share|improve this question









New contributor




Louis Wasserman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.







$endgroup$








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Maybe you have to tip the Hat of Wizardry like a fedora to use its power ;)
    $endgroup$
    – Blake Steel
    5 hours ago














4












4








4


1



$begingroup$


I see that, for example:




A cleric or paladin can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus, as described in chapter 10. To use the symbol in this way, the caster must hold it in hand, wear it visibly, or bear it on a shield.




Further, I see that the standard arcane focuses -- orbs, crystals, rods, etc. -- all have to be held in the hand. That makes sense to me.



What I'm not sure about is, for example, the Hat of Wizardry or the Dark Shard Amulet from XGTE. Both specify they can be used as a spellcasting focus (for wizards and warlocks respectively), but it does not make sense to me that e.g. a wizard would be required to hold their Hat of Wizardry in their hand to use it as a spellcasting focus, instead of wearing it. I can imagine a warlock having to grip their Dark Shard Amulet with a free hand, but that still seems like a bit of a stretch, especially when combined with somatic components.



Can these specific foci be used without holding them in hand?






dnd-5e warlock wizard spell-components







share|improve this question









New contributor




Louis Wasserman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.







$endgroup$




I see that, for example:




A cleric or paladin can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus, as described in chapter 10. To use the symbol in this way, the caster must hold it in hand, wear it visibly, or bear it on a shield.




Further, I see that the standard arcane focuses -- orbs, crystals, rods, etc. -- all have to be held in the hand. That makes sense to me.



What I'm not sure about is, for example, the Hat of Wizardry or the Dark Shard Amulet from XGTE. Both specify they can be used as a spellcasting focus (for wizards and warlocks respectively), but it does not make sense to me that e.g. a wizard would be required to hold their Hat of Wizardry in their hand to use it as a spellcasting focus, instead of wearing it. I can imagine a warlock having to grip their Dark Shard Amulet with a free hand, but that still seems like a bit of a stretch, especially when combined with somatic components.



Can these specific foci be used without holding them in hand?






dnd-5e warlock wizard spell-components




dnd-5e warlock wizard spell-components






share|improve this question









New contributor




Louis Wasserman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









New contributor




Louis Wasserman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 5 hours ago









T.J.L.

33.4k5116174




33.4k5116174






New contributor




Louis Wasserman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









asked 6 hours ago









Louis WassermanLouis Wasserman

2277




2277




New contributor




Louis Wasserman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





Louis Wasserman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






Louis Wasserman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Maybe you have to tip the Hat of Wizardry like a fedora to use its power ;)
    $endgroup$
    – Blake Steel
    5 hours ago














  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Maybe you have to tip the Hat of Wizardry like a fedora to use its power ;)
    $endgroup$
    – Blake Steel
    5 hours ago








1




1




$begingroup$
Maybe you have to tip the Hat of Wizardry like a fedora to use its power ;)
$endgroup$
– Blake Steel
5 hours ago




$begingroup$
Maybe you have to tip the Hat of Wizardry like a fedora to use its power ;)
$endgroup$
– Blake Steel
5 hours ago










1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes


















7












$begingroup$

The Hat of Wizardry says:




This antiquated, cone-shaped hat is adorned with gold crescent moons and stars. While you are wearing it, you gain the following benefits:




  • You can use the hat as a spellcasting focus for your wizard spells.


  • You can try to cast a cantrip that you don’t know. [...]





The text seems pretty clear to me - while you're wearing it, you can use it as a focus. It has a specific verbiage that overrides the general rules.



Furthermore, it seems relatively well balanced: It consumes a precious attunement slot and only works for wizard spells. If the character is multi-classed, they'll still need a different focus, even for classes that can use a more general arcane focus. Sure, it has a second property, but it's only once per long rest.



The Dark Shard Amulet has functionally similar text, except aimed at warlocks.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$









  • 3




    $begingroup$
    Are you saying you don't need a free hand to touch the focus?
    $endgroup$
    – NautArch
    4 hours ago











Your Answer





StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["\$", "\$"]]);
});
});
}, "mathjax-editing");

StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "122"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});

function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});


}
});






Louis Wasserman is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.










draft saved

draft discarded


















StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f143251%2fdo-these-spellcasting-foci-from-xanathars-guide-to-everything-have-to-be-held-i%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);

Post as a guest















Required, but never shown

























1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes








1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









7












$begingroup$

The Hat of Wizardry says:




This antiquated, cone-shaped hat is adorned with gold crescent moons and stars. While you are wearing it, you gain the following benefits:




  • You can use the hat as a spellcasting focus for your wizard spells.


  • You can try to cast a cantrip that you don’t know. [...]





The text seems pretty clear to me - while you're wearing it, you can use it as a focus. It has a specific verbiage that overrides the general rules.



Furthermore, it seems relatively well balanced: It consumes a precious attunement slot and only works for wizard spells. If the character is multi-classed, they'll still need a different focus, even for classes that can use a more general arcane focus. Sure, it has a second property, but it's only once per long rest.



The Dark Shard Amulet has functionally similar text, except aimed at warlocks.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$









  • 3




    $begingroup$
    Are you saying you don't need a free hand to touch the focus?
    $endgroup$
    – NautArch
    4 hours ago
















7












$begingroup$

The Hat of Wizardry says:




This antiquated, cone-shaped hat is adorned with gold crescent moons and stars. While you are wearing it, you gain the following benefits:




  • You can use the hat as a spellcasting focus for your wizard spells.


  • You can try to cast a cantrip that you don’t know. [...]





The text seems pretty clear to me - while you're wearing it, you can use it as a focus. It has a specific verbiage that overrides the general rules.



Furthermore, it seems relatively well balanced: It consumes a precious attunement slot and only works for wizard spells. If the character is multi-classed, they'll still need a different focus, even for classes that can use a more general arcane focus. Sure, it has a second property, but it's only once per long rest.



The Dark Shard Amulet has functionally similar text, except aimed at warlocks.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$









  • 3




    $begingroup$
    Are you saying you don't need a free hand to touch the focus?
    $endgroup$
    – NautArch
    4 hours ago














7












7








7





$begingroup$

The Hat of Wizardry says:




This antiquated, cone-shaped hat is adorned with gold crescent moons and stars. While you are wearing it, you gain the following benefits:




  • You can use the hat as a spellcasting focus for your wizard spells.


  • You can try to cast a cantrip that you don’t know. [...]





The text seems pretty clear to me - while you're wearing it, you can use it as a focus. It has a specific verbiage that overrides the general rules.



Furthermore, it seems relatively well balanced: It consumes a precious attunement slot and only works for wizard spells. If the character is multi-classed, they'll still need a different focus, even for classes that can use a more general arcane focus. Sure, it has a second property, but it's only once per long rest.



The Dark Shard Amulet has functionally similar text, except aimed at warlocks.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$



The Hat of Wizardry says:




This antiquated, cone-shaped hat is adorned with gold crescent moons and stars. While you are wearing it, you gain the following benefits:




  • You can use the hat as a spellcasting focus for your wizard spells.


  • You can try to cast a cantrip that you don’t know. [...]





The text seems pretty clear to me - while you're wearing it, you can use it as a focus. It has a specific verbiage that overrides the general rules.



Furthermore, it seems relatively well balanced: It consumes a precious attunement slot and only works for wizard spells. If the character is multi-classed, they'll still need a different focus, even for classes that can use a more general arcane focus. Sure, it has a second property, but it's only once per long rest.



The Dark Shard Amulet has functionally similar text, except aimed at warlocks.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 36 mins ago









V2Blast

24.6k383155




24.6k383155










answered 5 hours ago









T.J.L.T.J.L.

33.4k5116174




33.4k5116174








  • 3




    $begingroup$
    Are you saying you don't need a free hand to touch the focus?
    $endgroup$
    – NautArch
    4 hours ago














  • 3




    $begingroup$
    Are you saying you don't need a free hand to touch the focus?
    $endgroup$
    – NautArch
    4 hours ago








3




3




$begingroup$
Are you saying you don't need a free hand to touch the focus?
$endgroup$
– NautArch
4 hours ago




$begingroup$
Are you saying you don't need a free hand to touch the focus?
$endgroup$
– NautArch
4 hours ago










Louis Wasserman is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.










draft saved

draft discarded


















Louis Wasserman is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.













Louis Wasserman is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.












Louis Wasserman is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
















Thanks for contributing an answer to Role-playing Games Stack Exchange!


  • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

But avoid …



  • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

  • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.


To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




draft saved


draft discarded














StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f143251%2fdo-these-spellcasting-foci-from-xanathars-guide-to-everything-have-to-be-held-i%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);

Post as a guest















Required, but never shown





















































Required, but never shown














Required, but never shown












Required, but never shown







Required, but never shown

































Required, but never shown














Required, but never shown












Required, but never shown







Required, but never shown







-

Popular posts from this blog

Ponta tanko

Image
Usona ponta tanko M60A1 Ponta tanko estas, simile kiel kirasita savveturilo, inter specialaj kirasitaj transportiloj. Kiel pontaj tankoj eblas konsideri ĉiujn memmovigaj rimedoj ebligantaj superi obstaklojn ĝis larĝeco 24 metroj rekte en spaco de bataloperacoj. Ties ĉefa tasko estas ebligi al la propraj taĉmentoj daŭrigi en rapida antaŭenirado sen senbezona reteniĝo. El tio pli-malpli rezultas taktikaj-teknikaj postuloj, kiujn ili devas plenumi. Precipe temas pri kapablo operacii komune kun unue-sinsekvaj taĉmentoj kaj transpontigi obstaklojn dum kelke da minutoj. This page is only for reference, If you need detailed information, please check here
Read more

Tantalo (mitologio)

Image
Ĉi tiu artikolo temas pri mitologio. Por aliaj signifoj vidu la paĝon Tantalo (apartigilo) . Tantalo , laŭ Gioacchino Assereto. Laŭ la helena mitologio, Tantalo (el la greka Τάνταλος , ŝancelanta aŭ tre malfeliĉa ) estis filo de Zeŭso kaj la oceanidino Pluto, laŭ la plej divastigata versio. Li estis reĝo de Frigio [1] aŭ de la monto Sipilo, en Lidio (Malgrandazio) [2] kaj post sia morto li suferis eternan torturadon ĉe la Tartaro, la plej profunda parto de Hadeso, rezervita por la plej perversaj homoj. Tamen, kelkaj rakontoj asertas ke li estis reĝo de Argo aŭ de Korinto [3] , aŭ ke li migris norden el la monto Sipilo por akiri la tronon de Paflagonio, el kie Ilo forpelis lin pro tio, ke Tantalo forkaptis kaj seksperfortis lian fraton Ganimedon [4] , kaj tiel ofendis la diojn. Verŝajne li ankaŭ regis urbon en okcidenta Anatolio, kiun oni nomis Tantalis [5] pro li, aŭ Sipilo , pro la monto sur kies flanko ankoraŭ staras ĝiaj ruinaĵoj [6] . Laŭ la geografiisto Strabo,...
Read more

Erzsébet Schaár

Image
Erzsébet Schaár Memportreto de Erzsébet Schaár en Pécs Personaj informoj Naskiĝo 27-an de julio 1908 ( 1908-07-27 ) en Budafok Morto 29-an de aŭgusto 1975 ( 1975-08-29 ) (67-jara) en Budapeŝto Ŝtataneco Hungario Profesio skulptisto Familianoj Edz(in)o Tibor Vilt v   •   d   •   r Erzsébet Schaár [erĵEbet ŝAr], laŭ hungarlingve kutima sinsekvo Schaár Erzsébet estis hungara skulptisto. Ŝia edzo estis Tibor Vilt. Déryné Széppataki Róza en Miskolc fare de Erzsébet Schaár Erzsébet Schaár [1] naskiĝis la 27-an de julio 1908 en Budafok, ŝi mortis la 29-an de aŭgusto 1975 en Budapeŝto. Enhavo 1 Biografio 2 Elektitaj solaj ekspozicioj 3 Elektitaj kolektivaj ekspozicioj 4 Elektitaj skulptaĵoj 5 Elektitaj disĉiploj 6 Fontoj 7 Referencoj Biografio | Erzsébet Schaár studis en Industriarta Lernejo, poste en Reĝa Belarta Altlernejo (1924-1926). Ŝia ĉefinstruisto estis Zsig...
Read more